Chapter 188 Father-in-law gifts a whip
When it came to returning, time flew by. After handing over his work in the UK, the professor flew into the embrace of Tian Yuan's motherland with his students.
Tian Yuan was desperate to return home. He had already vacated the rental residence and packed his belongings three days before the departure. He Lian was sad to see him go and kept wondering that maybe it was time for him to move to China as well. He had been overseas for much too long, yet he was concerned that he would be unable to find work when he returned. Tian Yuan promised him that he would monitor the situation in China and speak with Pan Zhan. He Lian hoped that he would be able to settle down in China and get busy with work as soon as he returned.
Tian Yuan was counting down the hours. He wished he could speed up time and stared at the calendar eagerly. Pan Lei had packed five large suitcases for him and crammed them with all kinds of things. He packed everything in a daze and lost track of what and how much he’d brought. He tidied up the house, got his computer bag, and waited for a word from the professor honestly. It is anticipated that if the professor declared "we're not going" at this point, Tian Yuan would vomit blood in order to return.
Fortunately, the professor did not use such words. He Lian drove Tian Yuan to the airport to say goodbye, but Tian Yuan kept looking at his watch.
He Lian's heart broke.
"Tian Yuan, we've been neighbors for two or three months, we're also distant relatives, and we get along well. You're leaving, so why not express your concern to me as well? You're so reluctant to let go of Pan Lei, but you're so eager to get away from me."
Tian Yuan smiled.
"You're my big brother, and he's my boyfriend. When I return, I'll contact Pan Zhan right away and ask him to find you a job, talk to my mother-in-law, and get you back. Everything is fine at home, and the treatment you will receive will be excellent."
Tian Yuan hugged He Lian as the professor prompted him to board the plane.
"Thank you for looking after me during this time. Thank you very much, big brother."
He Lian felt a little self-conscious. Tian Yuan was a good man and he liked this friend. He patted Tian Yuan's shoulder.
"I’ll see you in China."
Tian Yuan skipped and hopped his way into the airplane.
He was beyond overjoyed. It was nothing like the sense of loss he felt when he first arrived in the UK. He was on his way home! He would soon see his loved ones and be able to resume his prior routine life. He wore a sleep mask on the flight to the UK to cover the tears he shed. On the other hand, on this flight to China, he was clutching to the window and peering out.
He felt a bit nauseated after staring out for a long time. He was slightly terrified of heights.
To regain his calm, he swiftly withdrew his head, put on earbuds, and closed his eyes. The lullaby that Pan Lei had recorded for him, "green flowers in the army," was playing over the earbuds. He looped it and listened to the lullaby the entire journey.
It was still noon in China when they arrived at the airport. Tian Yuan examined his multiple bags and realized he was worried. Shit! What am I going to do with all of this stuff? He had no idea how he was going to get out of the airport and back home.
He spotted his mother-in-law energetically waving at him from a distance, dressed in a dark gray woolen skirt and a large crimson shawl.
"Son, son, here, mom is here!"
Tian Yuan was ecstatic. What a joy to see his family as soon as he stepped off the plane! He sped up his steps and threw himself at his mother-in-law, firmly embracing her.
"Mom! I missed you so much!"
Dang Hong couldn't wait to kiss her son furiously after hearing that crisp "mom." What a sweet and kind kid he was! He was far superior to her own son.
"Oh, my dear boy, Mom missed you as well."
She stroked Tian Yuan's hair and face.
"Take a look at yourself! You’ve lost so much weight, I feel sorry when I look at you. Let’s go home and ask Auntie to fatten you up nicely."
The professor and the other students walked over at this point.
Dang Hong and the professor exchanged hugs. Her smile changed from that of a mother meeting her son to that of a dean greeting an honored guest; a courteous polite smile.
"Everything has been arranged, professor, and someone from the hospital is waiting for you. Thank you for taking such good care of my son during this time. I hope my son did not give you any trouble."
"No, he is a hard worker and an excellent student."
The professor was rather fond of Tian Yuan. He was a good and hard-working student.
Dang Hong patted Tian Yuan's arm. Her son had been praised, which made her delighted as his mother.
"Let's go now, let's go home."
Dang Hong turned to one side, and a guard came up to carry Tian Yuan's luggage.
"You've been on a long flight. Please go to your accommodation to rest first. I'll invite you to dinner once you've settled in."
The professor quickly consented, stating that a visitor is a guest, and guests adhere to the host's wishes.
Dang Hong seized Tian Yuan's hand, as if she couldn't get enough of him.
"Come home with mum first; your father is waiting. He didn't go out on purpose because he heard you were returning today. We've been waiting for you to join us for a meal. Don't rush back to your place; just stay at home for a few days. Leizi has been in the barracks for the last several days. We haven't notified him of your return, so it'll be a pleasant surprise for him. If you have any free time these days, consider decorating the house first. I intended to decorate it after you returned. Now that you're home, you may start with the interior decoration. Then invite your parents to live with you. Then you can work with peace of mind."
"I’ll listen to my mom."
"My son is the most obedient."
Dang Hong drew Tian Yuan into the car after the guard had placed the bags in the boot. Only then did some classmates discover Tian Yuan came from a prestigious family and had a noble mother.
Papa Pan was indeed waiting at home. He enthusiastically slapped his son-in-law's shoulder when Tian Yuan returned home.
"This child has lost so much weight in such a short period of time overseas. It must have been difficult for you."
"Dad, Leizi pays me frequent visits. He takes excellent care of me."
"Can that little ba$tard look after anyone properly? Look at yourself, this isn't good. Come on, let's eat, and then you may nap for a while. Dad will take you to the barracks tomorrow and surprise Leizi. Their commander has asked me to go and take a look by chance, so I'll take you there. We’ll go scare that little ba$tard."
Tian Yuan smiled as he bit his lower lip. His in-laws were really nice.
But when he realized he wouldn't be able to meet Pan Lei until the next day, he became agitated and couldn't sleep. He was eager to visit Pan Lei right away.
Pan Lei had been gone for seventeen days when he returned to China today. They talked on the phone every day, but he never told Pan Lei he was returning. What was the point of calling each day? It didn't compare to seeing and hugging him. Only then would he be able to relax.
Dang Hong had specifically requested that the cook make fish soup and urged her son to eat more. He could compensate for his weight loss if he ate more. She felt bad when she saw Tian Yuan's smiling face, which she thought was the size of a palm. It was not acceptable to have a kitten's appetite! She must fill him out! So the mother-in-law served her darling son-in-law a bowl of soup, the father-in-law a piece of delicious meat, the mother-in-law a bowl of fish balls, and the father-in-law a piece of fish. Tian Yuan had the feeling that his stomach was going to burst.
Dang Hong asked him to rest after dinner. In the room, Tian Yuan tossed and turned. He was always obedient and listened to his mother-in-law. She couldn't, however, ask him to wait half a day and a night to see Pan Lei. He couldn't possibly wait that long!
Why can't I see Pan Lei sooner? He was impatient to see him and surprise him. He sorely wanted to tell him, "I am back. Our lives have returned to normal."
Lovesickness is vexing, and all deeply in love couples can't bear the agony of not being able to see each other.
Mama Dang Hong was fumbling around in the living room, sorting documents. When Tian Yuan arrived, she felt it was odd.
"You need to rest more, child. What brings you here?"
Tian Yuan spoke with a somewhat embarrassed smile. He didn't appear to have made any of his own demands.
"I'd like to see Pan Lei, Mom."
Dang Hong burst out laughing. Oh, this young couple; it was difficult for them to be apart for a single day. As their elders, they should be considerate of the couple's desire to spend the entire day together.
"Your father is in his study. Go talk to him and tell him to take you right to the military area. Go on."
"Is that possible? Is Dad not occupied with anything?"
"Go ahead, he's only studying WWII. What would he be doing? Go speak with him."
Tian Yuan gave a nod. His mother-in-law was encouraging him, and he was eager to visit Pan Lei. He couldn't stop himself just because he felt embarrassed, could he? It was difficult to hold himself back, as if a mouse had snatched his heart.
He heard Papa Pan say "come in" after knocking on the door. Tian Yuan regarded his mother-in-law and dared to enter only when Dang Hong smiled at him.
To be honest, it was the first time he had made a request in front of his father-in-law alone. He was tense. His father-in-law was quite kind, as nice as, if not better than, his own father, yet he still felt uneasy.
"Tian Yuan? Is there a problem? Do you have something to say to your dad?"
Tian Yuan hurriedly lit a cigarette for his father-in-law as Papa Pan took out a cigarette. Papa Pan squinted his eyes and smiled. His son-in-law was quite good. He was a fine young man.
Tian Yuan looked up and noticed a whip hanging on the wall. He heard Pan Zhan mention that when Pan Lei came out of the closet openly at the age of eighteen, Papa Pan beat him half to death with a whip. Grandpa Pan liked to carry this whip around with him to encourage the Pan men to run and exercise. According to his mother-in-law, Papa Pan whipped Pan Lei whenever he was in the wrong. He could now see the fabled whip with his own eyes.
"Children your age have never seen anything like it, right? When your grandfather went to battle, he used a whip like this. When I was facing wars, I also wielded a whip like this. At my age, I enjoy collecting antiques. I used to hit Leizi with this whip when I was younger. Leizi was a mischievous child who, even as an adult, caused us concern, so I beat him mercilessly."
When Papa Pan noticed his son-in-law staring at the whip, he took it down and let Tian Yuan examine it thoroughly. Tian Yuan looked over and over, and when he thought that the whip had beaten Pan Lei, he was both disturbed and amused. What in the world did this bandit do to deserve to be thrashed all the time?
"Dad, Leizi is in his thirties. Please don't beat him in the future. I’ll talk to him. If he is disobedient or rude, I’ll teach him. He has a special job after all. I'm concerned something will happen to him during missions if the whip hurts him."
When Papa Pan heard it, he laughed. This young couple gets along really well.
"OK! I'll give you this whip. If he's not obedient, you’ll help me in teaching him a lesson."
Tian Yuan happily accepted it. Cool! He liked this gift.
"Um, Dad, can we go to the barracks today? I…I got some gifts for Leizi. He still doesn't know I’m back and I want to surprise him, so let's go now?"
Papa Pan burst out laughing. This young couple was too sticky! They had a wonderful relationship. Tian Yuan's face grew rosy red when Papa Pan laughed. He had let his parents see a joke, hadn’t he? He was like a child looking for his mother, insisting on seeing Pan Lei.
"Damn old man! Just go with him, will you! What are you laughing about? Your teasing has made the child’s face turn red. Don’t you know Tian Yuan is thin-skinned? Go change your clothes and take your son there quickly."
Dang Hong stood by her son's side and laughed when she observed Tian Yuan stuttering and flushing. Her son was still quite thin-skinned.
"Okay, Okay, we'll leave right away. Let's get ready. We'll head to the military district and surprise Leizi."
"Alright!"
Tian Yuan smiled and returned to his room to retrieve his jacket and the chocolates he had brought back from abroad. He was on his way to see Pan Lei.
Translator:
TY with a whip…
[Mind in the gutter].jpg
TY in the beginning: ahh scary whip
ReplyDeleteTY after being gifted the whip: ooooh nice lol